Anything For You

16: The Break-In

-Natalie's POV-

I don't like planes. I have never been on one, but when we stepped on the one today, and took off, the turbulence was so bad I felt like I was going to puke. I didn't, thankfully. I chewed gum, I closed my eyes, I did everything I possibly could. Its not like I'm afraid of heights. I love heights. Castor, Sarah, Trevor, and I went rock climbing once. I loved it. The view on the plane was spectacular. I liked that, I just preferred smoothness, which the flight did not offer. The bumps and whines of the engine, normally I'm okay with loud noises, but this morning I curled up in my seat like a baby and began to hum to drown out the noise.

I wonder if Ahk is aware of any of this? If so, it must be torture. Stuck in that box, and being unaware of what was going on. He might not have even been on a plane!

I pulled When The Sun Sets out of my bag. I know, I know. I'm rereading it. I opened it to the first page, and began.

'Sairih!' he screamed. It had been two days since he had quit looking. Two days since all he could do was yell her name, more often than not getting a mouthful of sand. It had been two fortnights before he had to stop searching, unable to move much. Today was his last day on the sandy ground of Egypt. Tomorrow he would stand with his brother, being judged by Osiris.

He had no water, food, or shelter. The sun was setting. He could feel himself dying.

No water. He was so, so thirsty. And he welcomed the end, but felt guilty for leaving Sairih behind. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'd do anything for you, but I can't live anymore. No miracle like you is going to come my way." His words stretched out into the empty desert.

He hated his home that day. The scorching heat, the taxing trials, the sheer massiveness of the sand deserts. The fragility of any life in where they wanted go. He broke down sobbing, using the last drops of water in his system. Carefully, carefully, he maneuvered himself three steps from Death's cold void.

A hand appeared in the darkness, small. It dropped a ladder woven from life, an escape. Was this really what he wanted? To die? He could still pray. And the gods were willing to save those who were brave. He hade been brave to face the Death. And he knew that he would stand at Osiris's halls sooner or later, and that he could not get his hopes up of beating the all-powering force. For Death was the salvation of souls.

He grasped the ladder. The souls inside, tortured souls, evil ones, tried to drag his life in.

Come, little one. You have gone far, you deserve rest. We have your devoted one.

The spirits flashed an image of Sairih. The hand beckoned with warning. Teos quickly scaled the ladder, drawing energy from the weakening spirits. It was true pain for them to assist one back to what they wanted most: life. It was a cruel punishment. But they had lied, he knew Sairih was alive. She had to be.

He grasped the hand. A girl's. She tore him out of the inky purpleness of the death void.

The sun hit him hard. He immediately noticed four things: one. The girl next to him was not alone. Two. Her big male companions were pointing swords at her. Three. He was no longer so thirsty or starving. Four. It was no longer night. And he was alive.

One of the men almost noticed him wake up. The girl pensively closed Teos' eyes. He resented being put in the dark. He opened his lids a fraction, watching one man yank up the girl.

"Wait, I'm almost finished! He should wake up in about five minutes!" The girl yelled angrily. The men conferred with each other. The one holding the girl by her neck dropped her unceremoniously in the blistering sand. She winced, but began winding a bandage around his wounded leg. The cloth was wet, and he welcomed it. Then the girl shifted, and the dull, throbbing pain burst up. He moaned involuntarily.